"I like writing idealistically and romantically," he told BBC News. "And if you can do that in a setting that is ordinarily a place for cynicism and pessimism, the way we view journalism now, you can do something fun and that's what I wanted to do."

Sorkin added that he somewhat sympathises with journalists accused of 'dumbing down' the news,

"It's a commercial enterprise, there are market forces at work," he said. "You have to have people watching it to pay the bills.

"There are some stories that are just more popular than other stories. The news can't be boring, so journalists are in that constant struggle."